Mario VS Sonic (2018)
This article is about the re-examined version of DEATH BATTLE!'s 13th episode. You may be looking for the original version of Mario VS Sonic from 2011. Mario VS Sonic (2018) is the special 100th episode of DEATH BATTLE!, featuring Mario from the Super Mario series and Sonic the Hedgehog from the series of the same name in a revisit of the classic video game rivalry. Mario was voiced by Kamran Nikhad and Sonic was voiced by Nicholas Andrew Louie. Description The ultimate rivalry of gaming icons comes to an end! Mario battles Sonic the Hedgehog. Who will win? Who will die? Interlude (*Cues: Wiz & Boomstick - Brandon Yates*) Wiz: Their rivalry is legendary. Their fame unmatched. This battle has gone on for nearly three decades, but today it finally comes to an end. Boomstick: Mario, Nintendo's whimsical Italian turtle crusher. Wiz: And Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's specialist of speed. (Camera zooms out to reveal Wizard & Boomstick) Boomstick: Time to find out if Sega really does what Ninten-don't. Wiz: For this bout, we'll be using the same rules that DEATH BATTLE! has had for the past three years. Most importantly, the original video games will be our primary source for analysis. Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick. Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle. Mario Wiz: Plumber. Carpenter. Doctor. Mario has worn many hats throughout his life, but he always does so as a hero. Boomstick: Except for that time he tortured an animal, but no one really talks about that. Wiz: Born as one of the Seven Star Children possessing an extraordinary amount of power- Boomstick: -and extra horrible crying fits. Wiz: Mario was assuredly destined for greatness. Boomstick: Then he and his little bro Luigi wound up in New Donk City, where he spent his days throwing shit at monkeys and uh... fixing toilets. Not exactly the great heroic destiny I was expecting, but hey, at least his girlfriend was smoking. Wiz: But everything changed after a chance meeting with Princess Peach Toadstool. Her Mushroom Kingdom had been conquered by Bowser, the tyrannical king of the Koopas, and her only hope of rescue lay in the hands of the Mario Brothers. Popup: According to a 2015 interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario's full name is Mario Mario. However, this conflicts with a 2012 interview in which he claimed Mario had no surname. Boomstick: And Mario had all the power he needed to take the turtle terror down. He's super tough, super quick, and really, really strong. He can jump several times his own height, smash tanks to bits with his butt, and toss Bowser around as if he's a featherweight. Mario: So long-a, Bowser! Wiz: Needless to say, the Mushroom Kingdom was in good hands. Boomstick: So was the princess! She even gave Mario a piece of her cake! Heh heh, if you know what I'm saying. Get in there, buddy, you deserve it- Oh, come on, it's an actual cake?! That's good too, I guess. Wiz: And if his strength doesn't cut it, Mario has plenty of extra weapons and powers on hand. Popup: At minimum, Mario can retain 36 power-ups on his person as of Mario Advance 4, and his Bottomless Gloves grant an indefinite number of uses. Boomstick: He can already shatter brick with his bare fists, but when he needs the power to break down the toughest walls, he busts out the Ultra Hammer. Sounds like a wrestling move Lou Albano would've used back in the day. Rest in peace, Cap'n. Wiz: Forged by two master blacksmiths, the Ultra Hammer, combined with Mario's mighty swing, can break through practically any material. Boomstick: And he's got a ton of awesome power-ups, like that spicy Fire Flower. Wiz: Actually, while Mario used to need this flower, he has since learned how to use pyrokinesis without it. Boomstick: Well, the Ice Flower lets him freeze enemies, the Lucky Bell turns him into a kitty cat, and the Super Mushroom gives him a power boost and increases his size. Heh, I bet the princess likes that one. Wiz: With his Frog Suit, his swimming ability increases dramatically. With the Double Cherry, he can create clones of himself with no power decrease. With the Stop Watch, he can freeze time. With the Cape Feather or the Wing Cap, he can soar to new heights, and with the Starman or Rainbow Star, he becomes totally invincible...for a short time. Boomstick: And with the Gold Flower, he never has to work another day in his life, because he's got an infinite supply of money! Made of people. Popup: While most power-ups are plentiful, the Invincibility Leaf can only be obtained through specific contextual situations, and unlikely to be part of Mario's available arsenal. Wiz: While he can carry several power-ups at once, Mario doesn't always need them to prove his potential. Boomstick: He's quick enough to maneuver when transformed into a bolt of lightning, and skilled enough to pilot the Star Diver as it rockets through the atmosphere. He's so freaking manly, he took an explosion to the face that wrecked an entire castle, and even better, he was standing in the middle of this. (We see the massive explosion of a tennis court arena from the opening of Mario Power Tennis) Popup: This electric form is fast enough to travel between neighboring countries. In this form, Mario has maneuvered through complex paths, indicating he can react at lightning speeds. Wiz: Based on a standard tennis court's measurements, we can determine the blast of this fireball covered a radius of over two thousand feet. To reach this distance, the blast must have had an explosive yield of over 2.4 megatons. Boomstick: So what you’re saying is Mario could totally play tennis with a nuclear warhead for a ball and be totally fine? Popup: Based on Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Mario scales to Paper Mario, who survived a cannon shot to the moon. Given the 40-second time frame, he was launched over 21 million miles per hour and landed with 1.37 megatons of force! Wiz: Probably. Also, he can throw a baseball so fast, it overloaded this speed gun, implying it was launched over 999 miles per hour. In the Mario World cartoon, he hurled a dinosaur out of orbit. Assuming this creature is of similar size and weight to a Tyrannosaurs Rex, this feat would require a force of over 135 tons of TNT. (Camera switches to Wiz & Boomstick) Boomstick: Wait, Wiz! I thought you said we're only using the games. Wiz: Any official material counts, so long as it's supported by the games, otherwise we'd be ignoring a huge majority of the character's history. Take a look at this Chain Chomp. It's actually made up of solid gold. Gold is ridiculously heavy. While one cubic foot of iron weighs 491 pounds, a cubic foot of gold is over 1,200 pounds. Luckily, a Chain Chomp is a perfect sphere, so we can compare it to Mario's height to find that it weighs nearly six thousand tons. Boomstick: Wait, did he just leave it in that hole? Cash it in Mario. That thing's worth 366 billion dollars! Wiz: That's....actually correct. Boomstick: Well yeah, that guy on TV who always wants my gold told me. Wiz: This isn't even Mario's most impressive feat. At one point, he lifted an entire fortress and punted it through the air. Boomstick: He does the same thing in the manga, and it's pretty on par with the strength he's shown against Bowser, who survived collapsing castles multiple times. Wiz: Since this presentation makes the castle's size difficult to determine, we measured the entire interior based on maps from the game. By scaling these measurements to the castle's smaller avatar and conservatively assuming a limestone composition, we've determined the castle must weigh more than sixty one million tons. Boomstick: And he just kicked it away, like it was a friggin' soccer ball! (Camera shows Wiz) Wiz: Given the distance it was kicked, Mario must have exerted a force of around three and a half megatons of TNT. Do you realize what this means? Mario's foot is two hundred and thirty-one times more powerful than the atomic bomb that dropped on Hiroshima. (A dumbfounded Boomstick blinks for a moment before revealing a can of beer in his hand) Boomstick: Now seems like a good time for a beer. Or twelve. (Drinks) Popup: Mario compares to Donkey Kong (who punched the moon out of orbit) and Wario, who survived the Shake King detonating. By measuring the blast radius and the world map in Wario Land: Shake It!, this blast equals 95.8 sextillion tons of TNT! Wiz: Honestly, Mario's absurd strength shouldn't be as surprising as you'd think. While he's fairly naïve, and not much of a strategist, he's saved the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser's clawed grip time and time again, and the Koopa king is tough enough to survive a dip in the sun, or even a black hole. Boomstick: Don't underestimate Nintendo's powerful plumber! (*Cues: Course Clear - Super Mario 64*) Mario: Here we go! Sonic the Hedgehog Wiz: Somewhere out there, on a strange alternate version of Earth, humans coexist with anthropomorphic animals, but this world has been assailed over and over by the vile Dr. Ivo Robotnik, otherwise known as "Eggman." Boomstick: Why the heck does he need such a dumb alias when he's already got a name as cool sounding as "Robotnik"? Wiz: But hope persisted. Whenever the Eggman hatched a scheme, one did not have to wait long for a certain blue streak to speed by. This was Sonic the Hedgehog. Boomstick: (singing) He's the fastest thing alive! Singer: He's the fastest thing alive! (*Cues: Forever Young*) Wiz: While Sonic has a superhuman physique overall, speed is his speciality. In fact, superhuman speed is a natural trait for the anthropomorphic hedgehog, though Sonic's abilities are far superior to his kin. Boomstick: Wait a minute, all hedgehogs have super speed? That doesn't make any sense. Wiz: Well, real hedgehogs are also nocturnal, not blue, and when they try to make friends with foxes, they get eaten. So, I don't think Sega cares. Popup: According to character designer Naoto Oshima, Sonic's iconic Power Sneakers were inspired by Michael Jackson's album "Bad". Boomstick: All right, then. To stop Eggman from turning all his animal pals into batteries, Sonic cranked up that speed, and weaponized it! He can crush his enemies with the Spin Attack, strike multiple times with the Homing Attack, go zero to sonic boom instantly with the Super Peel Out, and plow through hordes of Badniks with the Spin Dash. Holy crap! You'd think this guy would just, like, vomit all the time. Wiz: He's also used a number of power-ups throughout his adventures, including elemental shields. The Aqua Shield is especially useful, as it grants him an incredibly high bouncing jump, and protection against his greatest nemesis. Boomstick: Robotnik? Wiz: No, water. (*Cues: Sonic the Hedgehog Music: Drowning*) Boomstick: Seriously, Sonic, buddy, learn how to swim already, and save our ears from that nightmare music! (The timer runs out and Sonic drowns) Wiz: The blue hedgehog can also gain abilities from small alien beings called "Wisps." Boomstick: They can turn him into a fireball, a yellow drill, a black hole, a bunch of stuff, really! Even a demonic Hungry Hungry Hippo! (We zoom out to Wiz and Boomstick.) Wiz: But before we delve any further, there is something vital which we need to discuss. It's time to figure out Sonic's speed. Boomstick: (rolling his eyes) Oh boy, here we go. Wiz: While he has boasted that he is faster than light, Sonic has yet to prove this in canon without the aid of additional equipment or power-ups. Popup: Sonic can attack at light speed with the Ancient Light power-up, though this requires a semi-lengthy duration of charging energy. Boomstick: Oh yeah, like when he connects to a trail of rings, but you can't take his bragging too seriously, he's still got some of that radical 90's attitude. Sonic: I'm outta here. Wiz: The highest official description of Sonic's speed labels him as hypersonic, or somewhere between Mach 5 and Mach 10, this actually isn't too farfetched. The game Sonic Unleashed records his speed, and he can reach a maximum around 3,500, uh, SPD. (We zoom out to Wiz and Boomstick, Boomstick sings into a mike.) Boomstick: (singing) Sonic, he's got an STD, Sonic, it burns when he pees! Wiz: Assuming S*P*D translates to metric meters, given the game's Japanese development, that puts Sonic's top speed over 7,872 miles per hour, over ten times the speed of sound, and just over the official hypersonic description. Boomstick: So, is that it? Wiz: Well, it's possible, no, likely, that he's faster. In TV shows closely tied to the games, Sonic has dodged meteors, did this with a ten thousand frame per second camera, (shows him posing for pics before winning a race), and even outran lighting, all of which implies that he can move and react around two hundred to three hundred times the speed of sound. Boomstick: How about that one time he caught up to a Cyan Wisp? He said that thing's almost as fast as him, even without its laser mode! Wiz: That's right, the laser is a power it grants Sonic, not itself. Still, Wisps are incredibly fast. At one point, a group of them flew from Earth's surface to a black hole in orbit in the twenty seconds Sonic and Tails were talking. By measuring the planet's curve here, we can find that the Wisp aliens must've been moving around Mach 200. As Sonic is faster than them, this supports his cartoon feats. Boomstick: Why isn't that black hole sucking up the Earth? That's what they do, right? Wiz: It's more like a pseudo black hole fueled by Hyper-go-on energy. Boomstick: Yeah....if I didn't know better, I'd swear you just made those words up. Wiz: Its presence near Sonic does emulate that of a singularity, and Sonic actually outran its pull for thirty seconds. Due to chaotic accretion, black holes pull non-orbiting mass inward at thirty percent the speed of light. Sonic's clearly pushing his running speed to its limit here, or else the black hole wouldn't have pulled him in. With this in mind, it's entirely possible that, without additional support, Sonic's maximum possible running speed must be around two hundred million miles per hour. Popup: The 2014 Interactive Annual is the only official source (albeit loosely via outsourced publication) that claims Sonic can run at light speed. As it is unsupported in canon, this likely refers to the Light Speed Dash. All official sources directly from Sega contradict this claim. Boomstick: That's insane! The fastest man-made object in real life was the New Horizon space probe, which took off at more than 36,000 miles per hour. Wiz: It took nine years for this probe to reach Pluto, but with Sonic's speed, he could make this same trip to Pluto in less than 24 hours. (we go to Wiz and Boomstick) Boomstick: While we're tracking speed, I've always wondered how fast I can chug a beer, (holds up a can) start the clock, Wiz! (Wiz stares at him as he doesn't move) Wiz: Are you gonna start? Boomstick: I'm already done. (He throws it onto a huge pile of cans) Wiz: Ugh, moving on, even with this unbelievable speed, Sonic has far more power hidden up his sleeves. Popup: While his speed has broken time, this required special circumstances such as using a Time Warp Plate in Sonic CD, or interacting with a void in space/time created by the Time Eater. Sonic cannot run through time on his own. Boomstick: He doesn't wear a shirt. Wiz: He can achieve the form of Super Sonic by absorbing an enormous amount of positive energy from the seven legendary Chaos Emeralds. In this mode, he can teleport large objects, survive planet level explosions, launch energy attacks, and fly near the speed of light. Popup: Other forms, such as Darkspine or the werehog transformation, require specific circumstances not typically accessible to Sonic, making them unlikely to be part of his available arsenal. Boomstick: But guess what, this isn't even his final form. Wiz: After the emeralds received a boost from the Master Emerald, Sonic could achieve his ultimate state of being, Hyper Sonic. Boomstick: He's got all the abilities of Super Sonic, plus total invincibility, and a Hyper Flash that insta-kills everything around him, oh, and he's definitely faster than light now. Wiz: Unfortunately, good things don't last forever, without a steady supply of rings, these super forms can't even stick around for a full minute. Boomstick: Sonic has resisted mind control from the Overmind, survived reentry from orbit, and blasted apart a mountain, this would need more than two hundred tons of TNT to pull off, and while fighting his evil robo copy Metal Sonic, they shattered this enormous stalactite! Holy shit, just look at the size of it! Wiz: By comparing it to the buildings in this city, and applying the density of granite, the most common rock in continental crust, we've found that this stalactite must way almost forty-seven million tons, which means a break like this would need a force of almost two hundred kilotons of TNT. Boomstick: Damn! He's definitely got what it takes to save the world from a madman scientist! Even if he is kind of a dick. Wiz: Well, Sonic may be a bit arrogant, and he's certainly a thrill-seeker, but at his best, he's the definition of honest and heroic. He's used his powers to defeat Eggman time and time again, even against gigantic death machines and cataclysmic events. Boomstick: Those cute and cuddly forest critters can rest easy when Sonic's gotta go fast. Infinite: I'll show you how outclassed you really are! Sonic: I'm in a class all my own! Time to put up or shut up, Infinite! Death Battle (*Cues: Retro Rivals - Therewolf Media*) Mario walks onto a beach with an umbrella and a beach chair. As he finds a spot, he looks to his right, then to his left. After doing so and sees that nobody is around, the red-capped plumber sets his chair and places his umbrella, only to find a resting Sonic on his chair. Mario: Hmm? Hello? That's-a mine! Sonic removes his sunglasses and gives Mario a smug smile. Sonic: Finders keepers, pal. Mario gets angry and closes the chair on the Blue Blur, kicking it a few feet forward. Sonic: Whoa! After the chair opens in the air, Sonic lands face-first in the sand. The Blue Blur then gets up and looks at Mario angrily. Sonic: You asked for it, tubby! Mario rips apart his shorts to his overalls and makes a small taunt at Sonic. FIGHT! Sonic starts to do a figure-8 and throws sand in Mario's eyes making him shriek a bit. While Mario is distracted, Sonic starts to attack Mario whilst Mario is trying to attack with his eyes closed, missing every hit. Sonic then starts to run in circles around Mario. Sonic: You're too slow! Mario then starts to throw fireballs at the speedy hedgehog, who then starts to dodge them. (Red Wisp chirps above the fight) Sonic notices the Wisp, then looks back at Mario who starts throwing a flurry of fireballs at Sonic. Sonic avoids the fireballs and grabs a confused Red Wisp. Sonic: Come 'ere! Sonic transforms into Red Burst and charges at Mario. Mario shoots out fireballs at the Red Burst, but is ineffective as Red Burst is made of fire. Red Burst hits Mario, knocking the plumber into a tree, and turns around and is about to strike again. Mario quickly grabs a Lucky Bell and turns into Cat Mario, scratching Red Burst and removes the Wisp, thus making Sonic turn to normal, knocking Double Cherries off of the trees, and skipping into the water. Mario smirks, only to find multiple Double Cherries on the ground, much to his joy. Sonic comes out of the water with his Bubble Shield, only to find multiple Cat Marios jump out of the forest, charging at him. Sonic: Oh, gimme a break! Sonic tiredly falls to his knees while multiple Marios are jumping towards him. Sonic's Bubble Shield is busted and Sonic gets his body heavily beaten by multiple Cat Marios, with a grey pigeon watching, standing on a flipped over beach chair. Sonic is punched in his belly, slapped in his face, kicked in his groin, headbutted head on and scratched at his back. The one-sided beating continues until a rainbow beam blasts out and Hyper Sonic rises into the air. Hyper Sonic: Now I'll show you! Hyper Sonic kills off the clones of Cat Marios one by one, while the real Mario grabs out a Starman as he dodges Hyper Sonic's attack from behind. Hyper Sonic continues his attack and pushed Mario off his cat costume and pushes Mario off the beach onto the ocean surface. Hyper Sonic throws a flurry of punches at Invincible Mario while dashing on the ocean, kicking up high tidal waves in the progress. Invincible Mario holds off Sonic's head with his left hand while his right hand grabs out the Wing Cap and wears it onto his head. Invincible Mario: Let's-a go. The two retro rivals fly straight into the sky, with the pigeon watching, lying on the beach chair now standing upright. Invincible Mario and Hyper Sonic trade punches and kicks at each other until they reach the outer space, where they prepare for big swings of arms. As they clash into each other, the mini moon behind them explodes, and the two's super forms have run out of time, reverting them to their base form. Sonic: Oh shoot... Mario: Oh, Mama Mia... Mario screams while he and Sonic are falling from orbit into the Earth, but Sonic still decides to dive towards Mario with a flurry of punches, only to get knocked back by one swing punch from Mario, causing the nose of the Blue Blur to bleed a bit. The Sega mascot wipes out the blood stain and uses the Homing Attack at the Nintendo mascot. The Italian plumber catches at the homing spin, while his hand gloves are being ground bit by bit as the gloves take the damage from the hedgehog's Spin Dash. Suddenly, Mario's hands as well as Sonic's body turn into burning blazes. Mario grabs hold of the fire spin and swings it for a few rounds. Mario: So long-a, hedgehog! Mario is actually making the Firebrand attack in a style of a seismic toss, spiking Sonic into the ocean, while he lands on the beach in a three-point landing style as a giant mushroom-shaped explosion, complete with a bloom of a Poison Mushroom face goes off in the distance. Mario shakes off his arms to cool down, while a leg of the now incinerated Sonic lands on Mario's palms. Mario: Wahoo! I'm the winner! Mario cheers and jumps with the iconic Super Mario Bros. jumping sound effect as the giant mushroom-shaped explosion continues blooming. KO! The victorious Mario sits on the beach chair with Sonic's sunglasses on, relaxed while watching the giant mushroom-shaped explosion still blooming. Results (*Cues: Retro Rivals - Therewolf Media again*) Boomstick: Whoa-ho! How did that happen? I know Nintendo won the console wars, but... I really seem to remember Sonic having this one in the bag. Wiz: I'm sure Sonic could've won in specific circumstances, but more times than not, Mario takes the victory. Keep in mind, this analysis was done with the focus on the games and their closely tied media, excluding alternate contrary sources, like the Archie Comics or The Mario Brothers Movie, where Mario and Sonic are essentially entirely different characters from their gaming counterparts. Popup: Archie Comics' version of Sonic has feats surpassing his game iteration. But the histories and abilities of Archie and game-continuity Sonics are too different to be considered a single entity, similar to how Mario and Paper Mario are separated characters. Boomstick: Sonic had speed in the bag, obviously, but Mario was way too tough for him. Wiz: Their top strength feats paint this picture very, very clearly. Popup: Sonic could not use Chaos Control to travel back in time to the start of the fight, as he requires a second individual to perform that technique. In contrast, Mario has several items that could reset the fight more easily and efficiently, like Earlier Times and the Retry Clock. Boomstick: But, I know what you're thinking: "What good is Mario's strength if he couldn't even hit the Blue Blur? He's way too fast, right?" Wiz: Yes, and no. While Mario obviously couldn't match Sonic's relativistic top-running speeds, he's moved efficiently as a bolt of electricity, and piloted the Star Diver. Based on our calculations, this puts him at the same level as Sonic's own reactionary feats. Since Mario was tough enough to tank almost anything Sonic could throw at him, it was the only matter of time before he tagged the Blue Blur with a deadly blow. Popup: If we assume Sonic's base speed is faster than light through indefinite or unofficial evidence, the same standards must be applied to Mario. This grants Mario several FTL reaction feats, such as launching across galaxies in seconds in Mario Galaxy. (We cut to Wiz and Boomstick) Boomstick: But what about Chaos Control? Couldn't Sonic just stop time and take care of things whi-''' (Wiz uses the stopwatch to pause Boomstick) Wiz: It's heavily implied he knows how to, but Sonic has never actually used the Time Stop ability in canon. Even then, Mario's Stop Watch does the same thing, putting them on equal footing. (He un-pauses Boomstick) '''Boomstick: Gah! Don't do that!... Where's my wallet? Wiz: Actually, most of Mario and Sonic's power ups counter each other in this way. Mario even had plenty of options for defending against Sonic's invincible super forms, but Mario also had a much wider variety of power ups, offering multiple ways to overpower Sonic. For example, he could've frozen Sonic solid... (He uses the Ice Flower to do so to Boomstick) Boomstick: Ah! Wiz: Or even turned him into gold. (he uses the gold flower to turn Boomstick into coins) His arsenal would always outlast Sonic's because he's been shown to carry more of them on his person. (He uses a remote to turn Boomstick back to normal) Boomstick: O-oh god! Ugh- I've seen things! Popup: Scaling to Donkey Kong's moon punch makes Mario comparable to Dark Gaia, whom Super Sonic could not defeat without aid. Scaling Mario to Wario's durability makes Sonic's options for seriously harming Mario extremely limited. Wiz: But even then, Mario's durability blew Sonic's out of the water. Even if we assumed the 200-kiloton stalactite feat was entirely Sonic's doing, Mario survived an explosion that was twelve times more powerful. Simply put, Sonic didn't have a lot of viable options that could take Mario down for good. Popup: Defeating Solaris and Time Eater does not automatically put Sonic on overall universal levels. Particularly since those enemies' universally threatening capabilities stem from powers Sonic does not possess. Boomstick: I always knew Sonic was impressive, but Mario is just ridiculous, probably that mustache. Wiz: Sonic was obviously incredibly fast, but he couldn't compete with Mario's superior strength, durability and varied arsenal. Boomstick: He got Mari-owned! Wiz: Ugh... After a hundred episodes, you still can't think of a good pun? Boomstick: No, but now they can see me do this! (flips the bird with both hands) Aah! Check it out, Wiz! Wiz: The winner is Mario. Original Track The track for the fight is "Retro Rivals" by Werewolf Therewolf. It starts off with a tropical piece since the fight is at a beach before switching to a faster, jazzier tone that homages several pieces in both franchises. Some of the music referenced includes Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog, the Overworld theme from Super Mario Bros., the Underground Theme from Super Mario Bros., and the Invincibility Theme from Super Mario Bros. The track's title is a reference to Mario and Sonic's long-lasting video game rivalry since Nintendo and Sega's console war in the 1990s. The cover image is a sparkly 100 celebrating DEATH BATTLE!'s 100th episode. The first zero features the M from Mario's hat while the second zero has Sonic's spiky quills. Trivia * The connections between Mario and Sonic is that they are two of the most popular and respected video game characters in existence, and had a rivalry going on in the gaming industry ever since the 1990's. It should be noted that this battle came out 7 years after the original aired, meaning that both Mario and Sonic had attained more skills and experience since their first fight. ** Both characters also star in the spin-off series Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, as well as being playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series since Super Smash Bros. Brawl. * This battle contained a number of Easter eggs: **Mario wearing boxer shorts is a reference to Super Mario Odyssey. **Sonic relaxing on Mario's chair is a reference to Sonic OVA. **Sonic's signature lines from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, "You're too slow!" and "Now I'll show you!" are used. **Mario's neutral grab attack from the Super Smash Bros. series. **This shot from Mario and Sonic's clash in space is heavily similar to their official artwork for Mario and Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. **Mario catching Sonic's Spin Dash is a call back to how the original battle ended: during freefall, Sonic attempts to grind Mario to death with a Spin Dash. This time, however, Mario was able to hold Sonic back due to his incredible durability. **Mario's final blow to Sonic was based on Mario's Special Shot in the games Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Mix. **Mario's line, "So long-a, hedgehog!" is a reference to his infamous line "So long-a Bowser!" from Super Mario 64. **Mario's line, "Wahoo! I'm the winner!" is a reference to his victory line in Mario Kart: Double Dash. **Mario relaxing on his chair bare-chested is a reference to this official artwork of Mario. * This is the fourth Mario VS Sonic themed episode, after Mario VS Sonic (2011), Luigi VS Tails and Donkey Kong VS Knuckles. * This is the 12th episode to include returning combatants, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Batman VS Captain America, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (Remastered), Goku VS Superman 2, Pokémon VS Digimon, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman and Ryu VS Jin, and with the next six being Mega Man Battle Royale, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask and Leonardo VS Jason. ** This is also the fourth episode in which a returning loser faces a returning victor, after Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (Remastered), Goku VS Superman 2 and Thor VS Wonder Woman, and with the next one being Leonardo VS Jason. **This is the fourth battle in which a returning character who had previously lost won, after Batman VS Captain America, Thor VS Wonder Woman and Ryu VS Jin. **This is also the fourth battle to feature a returning winner lose, after Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, and Black Panther VS Batman, and with the next two being Ganondorf VS Dracula and Deadpool VS Mask. **This is also the first time a returning loser defeated the same character they lost to. * This is the fifth Super Smash Bros. themed episode, after Mario VS Sonic (2011), Zelda VS Peach, Link VS Cloud and Bowser VS Ganon, and with the next two being Wario VS King Dedede and Ken VS Terry. ** Coincidentally, several months before this episode premiered, the 2018 Smash Bros. Ultimate Invitational Grand Finals match between famous Smash competitors ZeRo and MkLeo had them play as Mario and Sonic, respectively. * This is the first episode in which Wiz and Boomstick physically appear, as opposed to voiceovers or, as in Meta VS Carolina, in power armor. * This is the 13th episode to be both a DEATH BATTLE! and One Minute Melee, after Deadpool VS Deathstroke, Hercule Satan VS Dan Hibiki, Green Arrow VS Hawkeye, Vegeta VS Shadow, Natsu VS Ace, Lucario VS Renamon, Luigi VS Tails, Mario VS Sonic (2011), Sephiroth VS Vergil, Jotaro VS Kenshiro, Ryu VS Jin and Link VS Cloud, and with the next two being Ken VS Terry and Mob VS Tatsumaki. * This is the first episode to be re-examined (rebooted) instead of being a remaster (like Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (Remastered)) or a continuation (like Goku VS Superman 2) according to Ben Singer. This is because the episode uses DEATH BATTLE!'s modern rules, which were established sometime around Season 3, instead of the old rules from Seasons 1 and 2. * This is the first episode of DEATH BATTLE! to have released official concept art online. The concept art can be viewed here. * This is the third overall fight to be animated in a hand-drawn style after Smokey Bear VS McGruff the Crime Dog and Samurai Jack VS Afro Samurai, and with the next one being Deadpool VS Mask. ** This is the second episode to be animated by BlindFerret, after Smokey Bear VS McGruff the Crime Dog. * There is an error during Mario's rundown where the Vanish Cap is listed twice in his list of Power-Ups. * Another error is seen at the end, where Mario is briefly seen wearing the Wing Cap, even though the effects have already worn off. * This episode currently has the lowest like/dislike ratio of the 5th season, with an 81% positive reception rate. Some of the ire towards the episode came from the Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase who questioned if Mario could put up with Sonic's Super forms and Chaos Control, which resulted in having a Q&A that was longer than usual, boasting a number of 12 questions answered. This would soon be topped by the Q&A for Ben 10 VS Green Lantern. ** That same episode of DEATH BATTLE Cast also said that a third rematch featuring fully composited versions of both characters could be possible down the line, but it'll have to be another milestone. Category:Season 5 episodes Category:Fights animated by BlindFerret Category:'Rivalry' themed Death Battles Category:Traditionally animated Death Battles Category:Death Battles with returning combatants Category:Death battles Category:Protagonists themed Death Battles Category:Heroes themed Death Battles Category:Episodes shared with One Minute Melee Category:'Video Games' themed Death Battles Category:'Nintendo vs Sega' themed Death Battles Category:'Super Smash Bros.' themed Death Battles Category:'Eponymous Characters' themed Death Battles Category:'Mascots' themed Death Battles Category:'Super Mario vs Sonic the Hedgehog' themed Death Battles Category:Fights with voice actors Category:Death Battles with power-ups